Image courtesy of The Terminal and www.hanoverdisplays.com and http://en.wikipedia.org/, originally uploaded by Jimbo (Alan James Wellock).
The Split-flap display screen would be the preferred analogue output media for my idea, but as I am finding it is really hard to get hold of one, never mind a small portable version. But as I have said below it may be that I will have to make my own, and to do this it would be beneficial to look at the various electro-mechanical display media on offer today.
As the diagram above shows each charactor position has a collection of flaps, which are printed with various letters and symbols. Often found in airports and train stations they are sometimes known as 'Solari boards.' The advantage of this medium is that it is highly legible from any distance or angle, but has a narrow 'bandwidth' in the amount of information it can display due the restriction of having to have every charactor or word, that will be ever used, there in a position on the board.
It is this narrowing of the 'assocaitve' and information 'bandwidth' the display portrays in comparisant to todays high definition LCD screens that interests me. The 'flap' sound of the characters rotating, as shown in the title sequence of the film 'The Terminal,' creates a great sense of pattern and action. It feels a more reliable and warmer medium than a high information 'bandwidth' LCD display screen, due to its 'physicallity.'
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